RP: Zombies REDUX
Nearly two years after the original Zombies project was canceled for various reasons, the idea came into its creator's (EliteMaster & Sith Venator) minds to reboot the original RP. Due to the sheer amount of characters and how long the RP had droned on, the original project was canceled. But now, with the help of Baracuss and CustardElite, the new idea was born to redo the RP in a way that started our characters off in the beginning of the infection. It was.... REDUX The year is 2014. The San Diego Comic Con is underway, and the once in a life time experience was irresistible. Nick Anderson, Robert Logan Clark, Dan Harris, Arden Hope, and some others have gathered for the geekiest convention west of the Prime Meridian... But not all is well. Survivor's List Immune for various reasons, involving genetics, chance, and random occurrences in life. The template: Name *'Name': *'Weapon(s)': (This can be added to as the RP progresses. Begin with none or basic weapons like a pocket knife) *'Personality': *'Equipment': *'General Appearance': *'Skills': *'Weaknesses': ---- Nicholas (Nick) Anderson *'Name:' Nick Anderson *'Weapon(s):' Pocket knife *'Personality:' Nick is an outgoing, 16 year old with a a brand new car. Although a bit /retarded/ at times, he always tries to be a good friend to his companion survivors. *'General Appearance': Fair skinned, a bit shorter than Dan and Logan but a fraction taller than Arden, Nick has slightly long (and bushy) curly, dark brown hair. He is very thin and has immense amounts of lower body strength, but lacks it in his upper body. He prefers to use ranged weapons over melee, and during the events of the RP can be seen sporting jeans, a red Hollister t-shirt, a one-strap, black and red backpack, grey and green tennis shoes, mirrored aviator glasses, a black and orange "Texas Longhorns" baseball cap he wears occasionally, along with fingerless gloves and a black and grey and black hoodie he gains later on. *'Equipment': One-strap backpack, fingerless gloves, cell phone, iPod touch, Ironman sports watch, "Texas Longhorns" black baseball cap, mirrored aviator glasses. *'Skills': Reckless driving, handy with a bow and arrow/crossbow, good with precise weapons like a Katana; and good with rifles such as the M4A1. *'Weaknesses': Lack of upper body strength. Daniel (Dan) Harris *'Name': Dan Harris *'Weapon(s)': Initially unarmed; Two .22 Rifles, three 9mm handguns, a .44 Magnum Redhawk, and a 12 gadge pump-action winchester shotgun in his Mobliehome. *'Personality': Usually sarcastic and rarely serious, Dan is a likeable person that's easy to get along with but has a short temper and frightening episodes of anger and random points. He is very protective over the people he cares for, and would sooner take his own life then leave someone to die. *'General Appearance': Short black hair with a five-o-clock shadow. He's roughly the same height as Logan, being 6' tall, with a medium build. He's very sturdy, but cannot run for long due to certain reasons (listed in weaknesses). He's slightly plump, though not out of shape, with a tan complexion due to his native american roots. He has a good amount of clothes in his Winnebago mobilehome, but usually wears tee-shirts, with funny quotes or sayings printed on them, and loose-fitting blue jeans with black orthapedic shoes. He also has a wrist watch that he occasionaly forgets he has, being terrible when it comes to keeping track of time. *'Equipment': Winnebago Mobilehome, a small arsenal of weaponry with little extra ammo, a cell phone, and wrist watch. *'Skills': Black belt in Karate, knows how to use a sword if he comes across one, safe driver, knows how to cook (so Arden doesn't take all the burden), and has a sixth sense with which he can tell who to trust or not. He also has a very high tollerance for pain. *'Weaknesses': When angered, he loses control of himself; blacking out while, he believes, his anger takes over his person. He's flat-footed, and has metal rods and pins in his legs due to an old accident (The reason he cannot run far. This is also a strength due to the metal in his legs making them stronger.). He is borderline asthmetic, and has numberous food and seasonal allergies. Arden Murray *'Name': Arden Murray *'Weapon(s)': Unarmed *'Personality': Arden is outgoing and easily excitable. She's random, forgetful and occasionally gets confused; but when it comes down to it, she's always there for people *'Equipment': Backpack, iPhone, medical supplies. *'General Appearance': Arden has slightly longer than shoulder length dark blonde hair. She's about five foot seven, and inch or two shorter than Nick. She's slender and light on her feet, being able to sprint and sneak effectively. Arden generally wears a black T-shirt with a batman symbol on it and tight-fitting jeans. She wears Portal earrings which can occasionally get stuck on things, but is easily fixed by removing the earrings. *'Skills': Light on her feet, can sneak up on people/ zombies so she is good for scouting. She has medical training and carries basic medical supplies in her backpack. She also knows how to cook. Knows how to swing a sword and enjoys using bows and arrows *'Weaknesses': Arden gets frustrated when things take too long, and can get attached to things too quickly. Robert Logan Clark *'Name': Robert Logan Clark *'Weapons': Unarmed *'Personality': Logan is laid back and remembers random things, usually quiet but can be social with friends but is afraid of being thought of as annoying if he talks to much. He loves fire arms, but retains his knowledge of animals as well. He is considered by many odd but to be a kind and gentle soul. *'General Appearance': At 5'9 he is shorter than Dan but still fairly tall for the group, with a heavy build, if he was in prime condition he would make a great football player, but that's never gonna happen due to his laziness. Has tan skin due to his Italian background and wears a distinct jacket-vest outfit ideal for ammunition and other goods. Pants are usually sweats but jeans are often worn as well along with shorts or khakis. *'Equipment': Cell Phone with charger, rucksack filled with supplies, and flashlight. *'Skills': A decent cook and marksman, has an uncanny ability to do the unlikely, call it a good gut feeling. As said earlier with the build of a football player he can charge zombies knocking them over with relative ease. *'Weaknesses': Logan can forget things quickly due to the ability of remembering random things, has asthma and allergies, and is still considered overweight even after years of physical training at the local YMCA. =Story= Prologue Nick Anderson stood in a large, arched corridor of the San Diego Convention Center. He looked down at his old watch, worn and weathered from the 5 years of use it had seen. SA 6-14 it read. The current time was 9:51. Bumped around in the second floor corridor of the Convention Center, Nick was trying to located his two other friends. The exhibition room had yet to open; and Nick was grateful for the fact. He disliked having no one to talk to. As he looked around the corridor, he noticed that the floor was nearly invisible from the sheer amount of costumed nerds, babes, and the assorted lot. He had his one-strap, over shoulder backpack on and his phone in hand. Due to his luck and lack of money he didn't come in costume: as the funds for his costume were decimated by the ticket itself. It had been a wonder his parents had let him come to Comic-Con. Two weeks on his own; while he and half of his family were on a luxury cruise in the Pacific. Saying his goodbyes had been rather easy as they embarked on the cruise just the last night. But Nick tried to shrug off the weariness in the back of his head; having no dad to fall back to, or a mom to be over protective, or even all of his grandparents who had taken the liberty to pack him two weeks worth of lunch. Quickly putting all of those thoughts aside, he swore he saw the telltale forest-colored ghillie suit Logan loved so much. The figure was quickly enshrouded in the crowd but emerged once again, walking straight towards Nick. In the person's hand was an M14 EBR with an orange tip. It was most definitely Logan. Nick took a glance at his phone; as a text from Arden read Me and Dan are on our way!. Logan walked up to Nick (who was now leaning against a bench) and gave his typical greeting. "Rrrrahhh!", Logan exclaimed, Nick standing up and looking at him. "Rogan!", he exclaimed in return. "Glad you made it.", Nick stated, Logan pulling down the cowl on his Ghillie. Logan's hair was still as long as it had been for the past few years; but it was pulled behind his hair with a bandana to keep from getting in his face which was painted with camouflage. Logan nodded and grinned back at him. The husky DM was about an inch taller than Nick who had caught up to him in the past year or so; but Nick was still as thin as ever. "Well where's Dan and Arden?", Logan asked; to which Nick replied, "On their way." ---- Dan sighed as he slipped back into the driver's seat of his Winnebago Moterhome as his online friend, Arden, found a place to put her twin Suitcases in the back. He'd waited at the San Francisco airport for almost a hour, wondering why her plane hadn't landed yet. Turns out that there had been harsh weather up her way, and the flight had been delayed a while. Why she hadn't texted him the bad news until half an hour after her predetermined time of arrival he didn't know, but he didn't hold that against her, "Just make yourself at home, Arden. It won't be long till we reach the convention center," Dan called back to her, starting up the vehicle and slowly easing out of the parking space. He hated parking decks with a passion; so many reckless morons behind the wheels of their vehicles driving through at nearly eighty. He blared his horn as one of said menaces careened around the corner as if he was invisible, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU MORON!" The 21 year-old shouted out his open window as the SUV squeezed past him, "THE HELL DID YOU GET YOUR LICENSE FROM!? A CEREAL BOX!?" He pulled back inside the window after giving them the one-finger salute, and proceeded to escape the confines of the crowded parking deck, "Well that was... Exciting?" Arden spoke up from the kitchen area, where she was sitting at the booth; looking out the window at the surrounding area, "Hey, do you think I could maybe... Possibly... Somehow... Play your 360 till we get there?" "Psh... We'll be there in less then a few minutes! Then again... I might take me a while to find a parking spot, so sure help yourself!" He replied, hearing almost a squee of joy as Arden jumped up from the table and walked over to the large flatscreen and 360, "So um... Where are your games?" She asked, noticing a lack of the semi-transparent green or black disk cases, "Oh they're in the cabinet behind you," Dan answered, glancing back at Arden to see where she was, "Just be careful though, sometimes the games'll fall out onto you if I go over-" The whole motorhome shook just as she opened the cabinet full of Xbox games, due to Dan running over a pothole in the road. The young girl was "avalanched" as almost every case fell out onto her, "... Bumpy roads... Erm... You alright back there?" All he heard was near hysterical laughter, "I'll take that as a yes. You won't be laughing so hard when I saw you have to put them all back, and I had them alphabetized," He laughed with a wink back at her. ---- Logan and Nick chatted while the two stood impatiantly for the doors to open so they, along with all the other nerds, could get into the exibition room. "So you somehow managed to conn your parents into letting you go alone?" asked Logan to Nick as a stormtroopers skirted by, Logan snorted a little from the man's bad oder. Logan remembered that smell from earlier before Nick had arrived and when he had not even put on his ghillie suit yet. Tired from the flight to Califronia from Tennessee he had taken a trip to the bathroom only to find nerds changing in it. He had to wait a good thirty minutes just to take a crap and another ten to wash his hands. After that though he was able to put on his ghillie suit quickly, got his airsoft M14 comfortable in his hands and started looking for Nick. Still deep in thought Logan didn't notice the doors open to the exibitation and almost got trampled by a small group of Krogan and a lone Spock. Logan shot Nick a look and both proceeded into the large room filled with boothes, which in turn were filled with boothe babes. Nick liked them, Logan had to remember he was a loyal boyfriend to a girl volunteering to help little kids in South Africa. After a while of shuffling through lines of games like Call of Duty 11, Halo 5, The Elder Scrolls VI, Mass Effect: Alliance, Battlefield: Bad Company 4, and several others that both were unfortunately very excited about. ---- "Finally!" Arden exclaimed as she and Dan reached the convention center. "What do you mean? That drive was ten minutes. I mean, I took a little while to find a parking spot, but-" Arden interrupted Dan. "No! I wasn't talking about that. I finally killed that freaking Super Mutant that was pissing me off. Oh, wait. We're there?" Arden jumped up out of her seat and turned off the Xbox and television. Dan turned off the ignition and removed the key "Well, I guess we should find Nick and Logan." He got up and opened the door of his mobile home. "You coming?" "Yeah, one second. I just need to grab my phone.... where the hell did I put it? God damn it!" She began tearing through her luggage when Dan pointed to the kitchen table. "It's right there, Arden." She looked up from the pile of clothes she made on the floor "What? How did it get there? Whatever. Let's go!" Arden grabbed her phone and her backpack and ran out the door of the mobile home. "Hurry up! Nick and Logan are waiting for us!" She started sprinting towards the convention center. Dan started running after her, and before they realized it, they were at the the doors. "Look out for the doors!" Dan called to Arden, saving her from an embarrassing injury. "Right. So, let go inside and find the other two." ---- Logan boringly glared at his phone while Nick fathomed on about how he could go from the outdated, frosty regions of Skyrim to the tropical/desert regions of Elsweyr. While Nick was getting a signature from one of Bethesda's art directors; Logan was looking at a mobile version of Cracked.com. "Huh. It says something here about some mysterious epidemic plaguing the western seaboard.", Logan stated as he scrolled down the page. "That's great, Logan.", Nick grumbled, looking back at all the concept art. Scrolling past a picture of a hazmat team from a scene in 28 Weeks Later Logan found himself at the second paragraph. This mysterious epidemic has found Oregon, Washington, and a bit of a Canadian eastern province in a state of panic as the plague spreads across the west. Our guess is that California is next. But hey, the hippies they are they might create some cure with a mix of weed, crack, and whatever else they have down there. '' The government is keeping the whole thing quiet -- but whatever it is, we know it's serious. Five towns in Washington have been quarantined and the Canadian border is as tight as teenagers to boobs. According to the CDA, it's a virus that sends your nervous system into a total breakdown (with seizures and the like), followed by vomiting out half your body weight, followed by death. Sounds crazy, huh? The government is denying these claims (strange, no?), but has not commented otherwise on the situation. "Nick, it said that this virus is coming to California. How can no one know about this?", Logan asked with a look of worry hidden under the faux foliage of his Ghillie. Nick shrugged and stepped back over to him. "It's cracked.com. When are they ever reliable?", he asked. As they turned to go to Call of Duty 11's booth; a strange noise emanated from behind them. It was a high pitched shriek, the R's being rolled as the pitch slowly climbed. Nick turned around as he saw Arden and Dan behind them, his face twisting into a grin. ---- After greetings were made Logan and Nick began to point out the various attractions that could be visited inside the nerd heaven. "So we are going to start with Cock of Duty 11?" asked Arden jokingly. "I suppose so," commented Logan as he looked back at the booth, "honestly doesn't look that much different than 'Black Ops 2'." Dan replied, "That's why I don't play COD, it's been the same game since 2007 with the first Modern Warfare." "Battlefield: Bad Company 4 looks pretty good, though it seems they kind of copied Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's customization." said Nick adding to the conversation. Logan rubbed his chin in agreement and looked towards the Tom Clancy booth, "Well maybe instead of checking out Call of Duty 4 for the 7th year in a row let's go check out Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 2 and then maybe Halo 5." "Quick someone get a doctor!" yelled one of the people in line as a person fell to the floor with a gushing wound in their arm. When the doctor reached the injured individual and asked them who had done it they could not answer due to the crowd being too thick. They quickly loaded the person on a stretcher due to his loss of blood and out of the building. "Odd." said Logan out loud, as he looked over at Dan. "Eh not really, people get crazy here." commented Dan as he eyed the Elder Scrolls VI booth, which displayed actual weapons from the game. ---- Nick had his arms crossed as he looked over Logan's phone at the cracked.com article on the epidemic. Why cracked.com had an article different from most of their material, Nick had no clue. "Western seaboard. That's us, in California.", Logan commented as Dan and Arden looked over the Elsweyr booth in front of them. Nick raised an eyebrow as he looked at the material. "We're in southern Cali. Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be here for a while. A two week vacation should give us PLENTY of time to avoid this 'epidemic'.", Nick responded, still in denial about not wanting to ruin his "dream vacation". Logan shrugged. "Well okay.", he stated, looking over at Arden and Dan. In her hands, Arden had a small, stuffed version of M'aiq the Liar. Dan was wielding a replica Khajiit wooden shortsword, actually made and handcrafted from oak wood. According to the men at the booth, there were only 200 like it. "We should go look at the Battlefront 3 booth next!", Nick shouted as he ecstatically looked over to a newly found booth. ---- Arden turned her attention to Nick "Really? I don't think I'm quite done with this booth..." She turned back and looked at the Elder Scrolls merchandise. "Hey, look! They have a replica of Mehrune's Razor.. shit." She looked at the price tag, 200 hundred dollars. "Do you take debit?" As Arden payed for the dagger, Nick looked at Dan. "What do you think of this epidemic? Think we'll make it out of Cali before it hits us?" Dan looked up from the Khajiit sword he had recently bought. "Eh... probably." "Thanks for the input, Dan." Nick said sarcastically. He seemed to be worried about the epidemic, but he once again decided it wasn't worth ruining his vacation over. " Um... Arden, are you done yet?" Nick shouted. "Yeah, let me just attach this to my belt... don't break, don't break, oh please don't break...and done! Let's head to the food, I'm hungry." Arden started walking towards the vendors, weaving in between the crowd flawlessly. "Wait, I thought we were going to the Battlefront 3 booth.. and didn't you eat on the way up here? That was about an hour ago." Dan was trying to keep up with her, but his Khajiit sword was weighing him down. "Yeah, I did. But I'm hungry again. I want to go to that McDonalds stand. Hurry up, guys!" Arden waited for the rest of them to catch up. "Yeah, I'm getting a bit hungry too." Logan stated, following Arden to the stand. They sat down after getting their food. It seemed like a lot of other nerds wanted a cheeseburger. "After this, do you want to go to the new Mass Effect game's stand? What's it called again? Alliance?" Arden was eyeing the black widow replica on display. "Yeah, it seems pretty cool! But let's go there after the Battlefront 3 booth." Nick was determined to check out the new game. "Ugh, fine. But I'm not gonna pay any attention. I might even wander... ooh! Dead island 2! How does that work?" ---- Logan sighed, "Calm down Hammy, we will get to everything in due time. Until then just relax and eat your burger. Dan ate a french fry before commenting, "This thing goes on for days after all Arden, take a chill pill and enjoy yourself." The group finished their food before settling on the Star Wars Battlefront 3 booth. "You know after years of waiting for this game, I'd honestly rather have Republic Commando 2." commented Logan as he watched the gameplay. "It does look a lot like just a console version of Battlefront Elite Squadron." said Nick as he bested another player trying out the game using a grenade launcher attached to a DC-15A Blaster Rifle. "Well let's check out Dead Island 2 now, then to appeal to Logan let's check out Tom Clancy's booth for his gun guru urges." said Nick as they left the Battlefront booth. The line was surprisingly short and very few people were trying out the game. "Where is everyone?" asked Arden to the lead writer of the booth. He frowned and replied that everyone was either in line for Halo or Call of Duty, the competition between the two left little room for other games. When Nick and Arden were content with what the booth had to offer with gameplay against the undead horde the group headed onto the Ghost Recon booth. ---- This time it was Logan who was excited as he looked at all the gun props and started playing the game. It, like its predecessor, seemed a lot like Splinter Cell: Conviction. Nick was personally content with the first game, and if it was anything like the sequel to Rainbow Six Vegas, then it was to be mediocre at best. "Logan, can you hurry it up? I know we could get lost if we separate, but come on, you've been playing the game for nearly half an hour now.", Nick stated as he looked across the separation between the two rows of stands. Arden was looking at a booth about a reboot of Wonder Woman, while Dan was farther away, looking at a booth for a new Dragonball game. "Ugh, fiiine.", Logan said in his trademark fashion as he stood up, small bits of foliage from his Ghillie suit falling off as he stood up. "Thanks man!", Logan finished, the man at the booth giving a nod. "Hey kid-", the man started as Logan started to walk away. He turned around, questioning, "Yes?". Looking over to a futuristic looking decorative crate, the man at the booth pulled it open and pulled out a modified, futuristic looking MICH helmet. "Comic-con exclusive. Only 300 dollars and there's not many like it. I'm not one to make a sale but you look like the gun guru type of kid that would appreaciate this. And it's made of real metal too! Pretty durable!", the man stated. Logan looked at it, then looked at Nick, who was finally taking out his Nikon D3100, or as Logan liked to call it, his $600 dollar camera. "Niiiick! Can we split it?", he asked nicely. "Fine. 75 bucks each. But only because I've got 500 dollars to spare anyways.", Nick replied. Logan grinned, both of the boys pulling out $75. They gave them to the booth man, who gave them the crate. As they walked away from the booth, Logan grinned ecstatically, shoving the crate into his rucksack. "I guess we'd better go look at some panels. That one for Halo 5 seemed pretty interesting!", Nick exclaimed, looking towards the door that led to many panel rooms as Dan and Arden walked back up to him. Before either of them could move, however, a group of blood curdling screams from near the food court interrupted all chatter, the exhibition hall silencing as something erupted from the farthermost corner of the hall. "Oh shit.", Dan mumbled as he looked over towards the sight of the scream. Whatever it was, it was invisible in the massive crowds that stood in a moment of silence. Chapter One: Outbreak "What in the hell happened?" Nick finally said, breaking the silence in the crowd; but not long after the nerds and other convention goers started to shout in terror and rush towards the nearest exits, "What the FUCKING hell is going on!?!" He shouted again, starting to panic himself, "Calm down Nick! The one thing you have to do in this kind of situation is to remain cal-" Dan tried reassuring them, but from out of the massive crowd came a woman that was dressed up as Black-Cat from Spiderman, but there was something about her outfit that didn't fit, "Is that... blood!? On her mouth!?" He exclaimed, taking a cautious step back, "What in the hell is going on!?!" "Oh so YOU can panic but I can't!?" Nick shouted, glancing over to his right where another bloody-mouthed nerd was attacking a group of Booth Babes, screaming insanely, "H-hey Logan..." "Yeah?" Logan replied, spotting another man going berserk off to his left, "I think... I think that epidemic has reached us..." Nick finished, "I... I guess Cracked.com isn't so f-fake sometimes after all huh?" Arden stammered. Dan instinctively stepped backwards into a fighting stance as the infected, Black-cat cos-player rushed at him. Usually he would never even think about hurting a woman, but since he was 100% sure that the hot-looking, blood-soaked girl before him was a Zombie, "RUN!" He shouted to the others as he suddenly brought his foot up, smashed his instep against the side of the infected's face, and pulled it downwards to send the girl to the concrete floor; her head getting bashed against the floor, "FUCKING RUN!!" He shouted at his friends again, who were partially gawking at their older friends' actions. ---- As they stepped out of their five-second trance as the cos-player fell to the ground, the group started running as the other nerds did. Massive crowds started to enshroud the group of four, infected individuals mixed into the jumble. "Dan! Start hitting people with your god damn sword!", Nick screamed as he started to run. Dan obeyed the command in the heat of the run and started batting people away with the heavy, wooden sword, as if they were plants to a machete. "Don't stop! We need to get to an exit!", Arden bossed as she ran with the group. A random zombie jumped out of the midst, throwing itself at Dan. He sidestepped the infected, tripping it with an outstretched foot as he continued to run, the zombie disappearing under the loud, stomping crowds. "Ohshit, ohshit, ohshit!", Nick whispered as he ran, adrenaline pushing him on. The crowd seemed to stop for a second as a massive crack rang out into the crowd. "HE'S GOT A GUN!", a few voices seethed into the air, the crowd shifting away from the gunman. "There's a maintenance door over there! Go!", Logan pointed out as he turned right. No one was seeming to notice it in the heat, and the group figured that they had gotten lucky as they started turning towards the escape. More screams started distorting, turning into inhumane growls and rages as more and more infected started attacking. "Where the hell should we go once we get out!?", Nick screamed as they ducked past all of the infected and non-infected. "My truck is totally freakin' useless!", Nick continued. "I took a bus!", Logan added. As they reached the door to maintenance, Logan tried shoving it open to find out that it was locked. "My RV should work!", Dan added once more as he tried to get the door open. "It's not budging, guys!", he bellowed. Logan tried to help him as infected started to notice them. "There's too many! Dan, hit the corner of the door with the butt of your sword!", Nick shrieked at Dan. But Dan, instead of listening, screamed at everyone: "Stand back!", when he proceeded to kick down the door with his reinforced foot. "Everyone inside!", Dan ordered as he held the door open with his sword in a blocking stance. Everyone rushed in, and just before he could close the door as he went inside a voice came from the small gap left before closing the door. "Wait!", it yelled, obviously weak and scared. "Let me in!", it finished. Dan started to open the door up, but as he sighed in relief to jump in, the boy, obviously a young boy, probably a year younger than Nick and Arden, who was dressed in a Star Trek Deep Space 9 outfit with a red shirt, was grabbed by a zombie from behind. "AHHH!!!", he cried, the boy cringing as the deranged looking zombie took a bite out of his neck, others arriving to help finish him off. Dan slammed the door shut, sighing in relief as Logan shoved a large, big crate full of comic books over the door to block it, reinforcing it with a conveniently placed mop. The group sighed in relief, and they looked around. They were in a blandly lit, narrow corridor that turned a corner ahead of them. It wasn't a closet, obviously, but a hallway that probably led to a series of hallways used for maintenance. Nick leaned against the wall, taking in deep breathes. "What... In hell... Was that!?", he questioned, albeit quite loudly. Arden leaned against the wall parallel to him, Logan at Nick's left, Dan at his right. Dan was panting, his hands on his knees, as he managed to stumble out the words "Ugh... My legs aren't used to running like that." Logan looked over to Nick, about to say something as more screams sounded from dangerously close to the door. "Zombies.", Logan stated. Arden started to throw her two cents in to the conversation about the adrenaline pumping, mind numbing situation they had just gone through, when more screams and some banging on the door erupted from the exhibition hall. "We need to get out to your RV, Dan. Maybe we can drive ourselves out of here.", Arden too, stated, as she stood straight up from her leaning position. Nick did the same, Logan stepping aside as Arden walked forward, waiting for everyone to pass him until he joined them in their line. The line dissipated as footsteps were heard from around the corner, the group stopping, Dan, with the biggest weapon, taking the lead. From the corner, a man dressed in a replica of Boba Fett's armor emerged, walking slowly towards the group, blood staining his chestplate. "Hey man...", Dan started, lifting his model iron sword. "You alright?", he asked, an inhumane gurgle bubbling out from the Fandalorian's mouth. "Say something...", Nick mumbled, pulling out his pocketknife. "Say something!" Logan yelled. The Fandalorian screamed in a monsterish tone, running at the four survivors. As it reached its arm out Dan, he swiftly side stepped, whacking the zombie in the face with the heavy wooden blade of his sword. As the infected cosplayer stumbled back, Dan gave it another hit in it's right side, followed by a kick in the back of its knee, resulting in the zombie falling unto it's back. "Kill it!", Dan said, Nick lurching forward and kicking the zombie in the groin, the others joining in as it's moans and screeches died out with the repeated hits. "Slit it's throat, Nick.", Logan said as the zombie was silenced. Nick nodded at him, and knelt down beside the zombie. "Sorry mate.", he said, slicing his pocket knife across the trachea of the poor Fandalorian. ---- "You know, I've always wanted to be in a zombie apocalypse. But now that I'm in one, I don't know." Arden stated as they walked through the dark corridor. "Wait, what was that?" Nick stopped the group. "Did anyone else hear that?" Everyone stopped to listen. They heard a faint groan, as if someone were in pain... or worse. "Yeah, I hear it too." Logan looked at Dan, who nodded. "I have an idea." Everyone turned to look at Arden. "I hope it's not to throw rocks at them." Arden gave Nick a look. "Haha, very funny, Nick. No, but seriously. I'm pretty light on my feet. So if I scout ahead, maybe I can see what's going on before we all risk our lives." "No way, we stick together." Dan shook his head. "Actually.. I think it might work." Nick looked at Dan. "Logan, what do you think?" They all turned their attention to Logan. "Go for it." "Well, looks like I'm going. Don't make a sound." Arden snuck around the corner, taking her time and not making a noise. "You know, I think this might actually work!" Nick whispered. Arden continued down the corridor, heart pounding. She could tell the groaning was getting closer. ---- Arden returned shortly later with a safe route that supposedly led to a security office on the way to the parking lot. "The door was jammed and I didn't want to make any extra noise." finished Arden explaining the route. "Sounds like a decent enough path to take." commented Logan, "How many zombies do we have to avoid though?" Arden shrugged, "Too many..." "Well," Nick started, "Never tell me the odds." "If we all die, I'm gonna' kill you Arden." joked Logan as Dan urged the group to get the deed over with. Slinking past groups of zombies as best they could the group eventually got to the security office and the jammed door. "Guess we know why it's jammed." said Dan as he point out half the arm caught underneath the door. "Didn't think you could fit an arm underneath a door like that..." commented Logan as he moved his trigger finger in anxiety, he was out of his element. "On three?" asked Dan to Logan. Logan nodded and the two oldest members of the group tackled against the door opening it wide revealing pieces of bone stuck in the floor from where the arm had been stationed. The four began to look around the small room before turning their attention to the television monitors. "Getting to the R.V. might be more difficult than we though." said Nick as the monitor displayed the parking lot filled with zombies. "We're gonna' have to run for it." said Arden. "Running? Worst part about zombies, takes the fun out of it." replied Logan as he began looking for some kind of weapon besides his non-lethal airsoft gun. He opened a locker and got excited for a second when he saw pistol grips but was dissapointed moments later, upon closer examination he realized they were only tasers. ---- Nick looked around the small office. The monitors displayed multiple different locations, with many perspectives on the parking lot. "Look...", Nick said, pointing to the parking lot. The gang could see the RV, virtually untouched, as stragglers who had made it out of the building ran past it, zombies not far behind. As Nick sat down in the chair one of the security officers manned, he remembered something. There was no body to go with the amputated arm... "Guys...", Nick started, slowly turning around in his chair. Everyone looked at him, but before he could finish, there was three knocks at the door. Dan raised his sword. "Damnit... We should've known better then to corner ourselves here.", he grimaced, looking at the door. But his suspicions were lowered when, from outside, a muffled voice murmured "OPEN UP!". Dan kept his sword raised, Logan lifting his airsoft gun. It was unloaded, however, as having a loaded gun, toy or not, in a convention, would spark worry. As if it wasn't already sparked... Nick pulled out his pocketknife. He felt like he needed a better weapon. Arden reached to open the door, Blade of Woe in hand. She quickly opened it, the door swinging open as a relieved security officer stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "You guys shouldn't be in here...", he said, gasping for air in between words. His black outfit was stained, almost glimmering with claret. Logan kept his gun raised. "Do you think we honestly care at this point?", he asked. The security guard shook his head. He was a middle aged man wearing a black outfit, with a balding head of coarse, black hair. He was African-American, and slightly overweight, but not fat. "My god, what are those things?", he asked. Dan shook his head, looking back at the screen. "Zombies, of course.", Logan clarified to him, almost smiling. The officer's face crumpled into an expression of pure fear. "We need to keep moving. Grab a taser." Epilogue ''The following was added to the RP beginning on the night of February 23rd, 2015. The events of the following also take place on the night of February 23rd, 2015. Someone let out a loud yawn, and with that, Nick's eyes peeled open. He looked down at himself -- his formerly black double-rider jacket now colored an off brown, his slim-fit navy cargo pants stained with claret, presumably from the undead. He pulled the shemagh wrapped around his neck off, tossing it unto his lap. The interior of the muddy Jeep was hot, dimly lit by moonlight -- a waxing crescent hanging high in the sky. Nick looked down and checked his watch, the same hardy Ironman watch he'd obtained in only the sixth grade. It read 11:37 PM, eastern time. He rubbed his eyes with fatigue and looked up. Sitting in the leftmost spot of the back seat, he looked to his right. In the middle of the backseat sat a carton of water bottles, atop them a dirt-stained, olive colored rucksack, partially unzipped, various canned goods protruding from within. At its right sat Arden, clad in an oversized, black-colored parka, the same pair of skinny jeans she'd worn on the day of their hasty escape on her legs. As the Jeep went over a bump, she, too, opened her eyes, adjusting the burgundy tuque on her head. "Turn down the heat, someone.", she mumbled, turning over to find a more comfortable position to sleep. Logan and Dan chuckled together, Logan turning off the heater. Logan was seated in the passenger seat, his torso and face lit by phonelight. His face was darkened by a thick, now slightly unruly beard, and his hair was unkempt, growing back to the state it had been in before he'd cut it before his trip to California. He was playing a game -- ZigZag, on Nick's iPhone 6, an addition he'd downloaded on their first respite leaving the state of California nearly eleven months ago. Logan's ghillie suit, or what remained of it, was draped over his legs as a sort of blanket, and he was wearing a beige colored bomber jacket as his top, he too, had a black tuque on his head. Dan pulled the hair-tie off of the back of his head, his ponytail rolling into a shoulder-length growth of hair. He, too, scratched his slightly less thick beard, immediately after unzipping his black, insulated down coat. He rolled down the window in the driver's seat for a moment, the sound of the wind startling Nick and Arden to full alertness. "What?", Arden questioned, Dan's face now lit up with a ghost of a smile. "You smell that?", he asked in return, a hint of hope in his voice. Logan inhaled some air heavily. "...Familiar." Arden recognized the smell immediately. "Salt." she responded, a smile meeting her lips too. Logan and Nick looked at each other with a face of perplexity. "The ocean. We're almost there.", she finished, and Dan nodded in agreement, turning on the light. "Logan, we need to see where the turnoff is.", he said, and Logan quickly rifled for an atlas buried upon the supplies stashed in the foot space of the passenger seat. "None of these frakkin' roads are marked, but it should be just past this ranch exit according to the directions you wrote down.", he responded, and Dan nodded, turning off the overhead light. Arden removed a crumpled piece of paper from the food rucksack and unfolded it. "Just north of the Wapusk signs, off of the fourth dirt exit." "This is the fourth dirt exit.", he said with some enthusiasm as he took the turn off of the paved road unto the small, dirt path, overgrown and the excitement in his voice worn down by the weariness of travel. It'd been four months since they'd lost the Winnebago in Cheyenne, and while this Jeep Sahara sure was handy at taking corners and going offroad, he still missed his old brick, and the stash of video games and movies he'd had in it. "Just a few miles more, guys.", he continued, a steady grin coming over the group. It was the end of a long, long road trip no one had wanted to take. Dan rolled up his window, the air now appropriately chilly from the snowfall that was beginning again in the early February night. "You know, I have to say:", Nick began. "This hasn't been the 2014 or 2015 I imagined, not by any stretch, no. I imagined I'd be enjoying sophomore year by now, stressing over my math grade and actually getting my own car, yeah." Logan chuckled, allowing Nick to continue by quickly quieting down. "But I'm glad to have had friends to live it with. I don't know where I'd be without you guys, both emotionally and, y'know, physically. Back in Yorkton, especially, with that damn guy in the refrigerator. Who decides to hide in the fridge after getting infected anyways?" This time all three of them chuckled, less so at the funniness of what Nick said and more at the ease in knowing that they were hundreds of miles from any substantial number of infected. "58.6... -93.5... Two miles to the coordinates!", Logan said, intently scrutinizing the atlas. "Thanks guys.", Nick finished, staring out the window at the passing conifers, a gentle blanket of snow once again falling on the late night forest scenery. The car opened up on a clearing abruptly, the trees falling to a stop. In front of the group was an about three by three acre clearing, a single, raised wooden cabin at its middle. No light emanated from it, no, but a single plume of smoke erupted from the chimney. The jeep came to a stall as it arrived upon the carport of the elevated cabin, and Dan honked the horn with little regard as to its noise. As they waited, the travelers took in their surroundings -- the clearing was blanketed white, stalks of tall, wheat colored grass rising from underneath the snow. The cabin was not large nor small, a two car garage on its left the only part of the cabin accessible from the ground. The garage was an extension of a large, cubed-shape first floor of the cabin, the windows on the ground floor all boarded up, no access to the interior from there available anyways. A single stairwell with two gates, one reinforced with more wood, led up to a large, wooden deck with a single door, and a light came on through one of the unblocked windows, a moment later the garage door lifting. A young figure, obviously a male, waved the car into the garage, and Dan pulled in slowly, the figure closing the reinforced garage door behind them. All four of the group poured out of the car with exhaustion, and as the figure turned on the garage light, they travelers looked to the pajama-clad figure and all sighed in harmony. "It's been a long time, guys.", he said, his light blond hair trimmed short and his face not marked with the dirt and grime of a year of travel. The four travelers struggled to make their words out of perhaps excitement, happiness, relief, or a mix. "We missed you, Will!", Logan exclaimed, the group all going in for a group hug.